A teacher in Germany is living with 120 shotgun pellets in her body after a homemade booby trap, set by her neighbor to deter trespassers, fired when she went looking for her lost dog.
The incident, which happened May 2, 2026, in the village of Dannigkow, left the 54-year-old woman with life-threatening injuries after she was struck in the upper torso by approximately 150 small lead pellets from a modified mousetrap.
The device, according to the accused 43-year-old neighbor, was built from a conventional mousetrap that he had altered. He attached an extended metal barrel to it and connected the trigger mechanism to a thin fishing line, which he stretched between a fence post and a tree on his property.
The court heard that the contraption was aimed directly at a hole in the fence at the height of a person’s upper body.
The woman, whose dog had wandered onto the neighbor’s land, crawled through the fence opening to retrieve it. As she moved across the property, she inadvertently triggered the line, setting off the trap. The force of the blast caused her to lose consciousness immediately.
Despite the severity of her wounds, the woman managed to regain consciousness and crawl back through the fence to call for help. Emergency services found her after locating her mobile phone. Doctors managed to remove only 30 of the pellets. The remaining 120 are still lodged in her body, some dangerously close to her heart and lungs.
“She is still battling the consequences today,” MDR, the regional public broadcaster, noted in its coverage. The lead projectiles have also caused a significantly elevated level of lead in her bloodstream. The woman has been unable to work since the attack and remains deeply affected by the trauma.
In court, the neighbor admitted to constructing the device but claimed he never intended to hurt anyone. He explained he was trying to protect himself from a specific individual who had been harassing him, threatening him, and repeatedly entering his property. “He apologized to his neighbor in court,” the report stated, “but explained that he had made the device to defend his property.”
The prosecution, however, has refuted his explanation. They argue the trap was deliberately placed to target anyone crossing through the fence opening. During a search of the man’s property, investigators found multiple firearms and hundreds of ammunition rounds.
The man faces charges of attempted manslaughter, and the court has suggested the case could even be tried as attempted murder due to the insidious nature of the trap. He has been in investigative custody since May and a verdict is expected by the end of November.
“This case highlights a critical legal gray area where personal protection measures cross the line into premeditated violence. The law does not permit citizens to engineer deadly devices, even on their own property, to address personal disputes. The placement and intent are what will determine if this is seen as a tragic accident or a criminal act.” — Legal Analyst on German Property Law
